The structure was made by Austrian artist collective Numen/For Use from 330 rolls of sticky tape over 7 days, allowing visitors to experience ‘a spider’s eye view’ of the world.
When the festival was over, and the structure was taken down from its home in our historic 1830’s Warehouse, the question of how to dispose of the temporary artwork was high on the list of priorities. As a festival we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint in the most practicable way, and saving a structure made of non-recyclable plastic from landfill was a challenge for the festival team. Employing the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) we decided to investigate how this structure could be reused and repurposed to continue to delight the Greater Manchester community.
The team decided to approach local community arts groups, and schools to see if they would be able to make use of the material for free. We were delighted to hear back from groups who had all sorts of creative ideas about how to integrate the material into their curriculum and programmes.
With the festive period approaching, Z-arts in Hulme got into the spirit making festive decorations at their Mix it Up Afterschool art club.
Making ‘ice leaves’ out of @McrSciFest @msimanchester tape sculpture was so much fun last night. We drew veins on the leaves with glue, sprinkled them with glitter & now we’re one step closer to an upcycled winter wonderland! ❄️❄️❄️ https://t.co/zUtdhm1zcX
— Z-arts Bright Sparks (@brightsparksmcr) November 16, 2017
Other groups prepared for the festive season by making tape angels, and one group planned to use the materials as part of a photography project.
Huge thanks to @msimanchester for this massive lump of #Tape! #artproject #recycling pic.twitter.com/bHiaTpEM9S
— Kirsty Gbasai (@burstybuffer) November 15, 2017
Tuesday’s task @TheEdgeMcr! Ice Angels using recycled tape from @msimanchester recent installation…TAPE! #recycling#kidsart#chorltonpic.twitter.com/2UIfTJYmBa
— Kirsty Gbasai (@burstybuffer) November 20, 2017
Schools from across Greater Manchester were planning to use the material as part of their curriculum in resistant materials lessons, technology lessons, textiles lessons and art lessons. One school made igloos with their tape and another planned to make sculptures in the style of Gwong Osang.
And last but not least, staff at the Museum of Science and Industry – who produce the festival – spent their lunch times crafting decorations for the Christmas party.
Make sure you visit the Manchester Science Festival website regularly to stay up-to-date with all the news and announcements for next year’s festival.
Like this? You might also like: Behind the scenes: Building Tape
